Opt-in Pass/Fail Grades Available To FIU Students

Teresa Schuster/Staff Writer

Pass/no credit grades will be offered to students for the Spring 2020 semester, Joerg Reinhold, chair of the faculty senate confirmed to PantherNOW.

For each class, undergraduate and graduate students can choose to keep their letter grade or opt for a passing grade, as well as a non-credit option.

Students will have 10 calendar days after final grades have been issued to decide, and will need to speak with their advisers to make the change.

Transcripts will also include an explanation that the change in grading is due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The motion was passed at yesterday’s faculty senate meeting, and comes after FIU’s decision to move classes online and students raised concerns about grades for the semester.

Petitions circulated around on group chats, some receiving over 10,000 signatures.

The SGA created its own survey to gauge students’ thoughts on the issue. Unlike the others, it allowed students to vote on a number of scenarios, to judge which they preferred. It garnered over 6,000 responses over a three day period.

Bryan Gomez, the SGA senator who created the survey, said that this enabled them to see what would be best for everyone.

“A lot of people actually had evolving opinions on the pass or fail petition,” Gomez said. “We just wanted to get an accurate reading of what students wanted.”

Making grades universally pass/fail was controversial among students. While some advocated for it, many raised concerns about its effect on applying to graduate schools, as some only accept letter grades.

“There was a strong amount of support on both sides,” said Gomez.

At Monday’s Student Government Council at the Modesto Maidique Campus senate meeting, senators passed a bill based on the survey results.

It recommended that FIU give students the choice to either keep their letter grade or choose to have a pass/fail grade, extend the add/drop period, and implement a curve for the semester’s grading.

The recommendation to curve grades was the least controversial among students, with 91% voting for it. Over 80% voted to extend the add/drop period and 49% supported making pass/fail grades optional.

The bill passed in the senate with almost unanimous support. It was then sent to administrators, and SGC-MMC President Sabrina Rosell, who attended yesterday’s faculty senate meeting, said that the similar motion passed unanimously there as well.

“This is something for students that are struggling with the transition to remote learning,” said Rosell. “The university is being flexible.”

Rosell said that FIU is working on an FAQ to inform students of how to explore these options with their advisers, and choose the one best for them.

“I’m really proud to see how committed our professors are to ensuring that decisions are made for the success of our students,” she said.